Symposium spotlights student research

By Mark Muckenfuss

The orcas found off the coast of Iceland do not behave like those that frequent Monterey Bay and the Pacific Northwest. But we’re not sure how different they are. 

“Icelandic orca research is still in its infancy,” said Lilah Wise, a Cal State Monterey Bay senior majoring in marine science. “It really only started around 2009.”

Wise was one of 155 students who participated in the Summer Research Symposium on Friday, Aug. 9. The daylong event in the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library featured a slew of poster presentations – on all three floors of the building – and 32 oral presentations. The research topics ranged from marine science to microbiology, psychology and social and computer sciences. A full list of participants and award winners can be found here. 

Wise spent several weeks in Iceland helping to spot and observe the interactions of the orca population there. The animals, she said, tend to be found in smaller groups than their cousins in the Pacific, and their social ties may not be as strong.

“Orcas play a large role in all ecosystems they’re a part of,” Wise said. “They help us monitor change over time and can be a good predictor for other animals.”

She called the symposium an “incredibly important” opportunity for students involved in research to present their work, adding that it’s a reflection of the strong research offerings at CSUMB.

“Nowhere else that I have seen is there such an opportunity for undergraduates to participate in research, let alone conduct it,” she said. 

That’s largely due to the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center. John “Buck” Banks, the director of UROC, said the center plays a major role in CSUMB’s research output.

“UROC was the first centralized undergraduate research center in the CSU system,” Banks said. “That was instrumental in building the research culture on campus.”

Increased research activities, he said, attract more faculty members who are interested in doing their own investigative work. They, in turn, involve more students in the research process and the system builds on itself. 

Andrew Lawson, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the summer symposium is a necessary part of that system. 

“It’s an important part of the research process for the students to present their work in this short-form format, distilling complex information into something that can be understood by non-expert audiences,” Lawson said. “It’s a great showcase for some great work.”

Banks said the summer symposium is the largest of the three symposiums UROC hosts each year, partly because it includes students from outside CSUMB. The other two symposiums are in the spring and fall. Many of the same students will likely be involved in the future events.

Wise, who is due to graduate in December and plans to pursue a graduate degree, said the diverse range of presentations and presenters is something she appreciates.

“If I have my own lab someday, I would like to have the opportunity to have a diverse lab environment,” she said. 

She’s also excited by the idea of bringing whatever her future research might yield to the public, perhaps in a forum much like the summer symposium. It’s a great outlet for what inspires her, she said.

“I think science is the coolest thing in the entire world,” she said.

Learn more at the Summer Research Symposium web page.